Leeds United player ratings vs Huddersfield Town: 3/10 duo are awful, Roberts shines
Leeds United saw their winning streak grind to a halt on Saturday afternoon (2 March) with Huddersfield Town holding them to a 1-1 draw.
Daniel Farke’s side traveled to the John Smith’s Stadium having won nine consecutive games in the Championship, but they dropped points in what turned out to be a feisty Yorkshire derby.
After a scrappy start to the clash, substitute Michal Helik gave the hosts the lead with a finish from close range before Jonathan Hogg was sent off for receiving a second yellow.
Patrick Bamford equalised in the second half to continue his strong form in front of goal but Leeds missed the opportunity to close the gap to league leaders Leicester City.
The Foxes boast a five-point gap at the top of the table and have the opportunity to grow their lead with their clash against QPR on Saturday afternoon.
Here are the ratings for Leeds United players after their 1-1 draw with Huddersfield:
Illan Meslier [4]
A birthday to forget for the French shot-stopper.
Denied a long-ranged effort early on but Meslier was at fault for the opener after spilling the initial effort into his six-yard box.
He has been in fine form during Leeds’ winning run in the Championship but Meslier struggled with set pieces and Huddersfield’s physical approach.
Archie Gray [6]
Made a vital tackle as the last line of defence in the first half to stop a dangerous counter-attack.
Leeds’ home-grown star rose to the occasion in what turned out to be a feisty Yorkshire derby and held his own while playing out of position.
Was unlucky to be taken off for Connor Roberts on the hour mark.
Joe Rodon [6]
Coped well with Huddersfield’s direct approach by aggressively meeting crosses and long balls.
The 26-year-old loanee is a strong contender for Leeds’ Player of the Season award so far and he added another impressive performance here.
Ethan Ampadu [5]
A tame performance compared to his centre-back partner.
Daniel Farke should be pushing for a new centre-back signing in the summer as Ampadu looks much more comfortable in a midfield role.
Junior Firpo [4]
Huddersfield enjoyed plenty of joy down the right flank and Firpo is to blame.
The 27-year-old looks great going forward but continues to be a complete liability in defence.
Was replaced by Jaidon Anthony late on.
Glen Kamara [4]
Kept possession well in midfield but offered very little going forward when Leeds were hunting an equaliser.
Kamara thrives when Leeds need to control a match, but he offers no goal threat from midfield.
Was rightly taken off by Farke on the hour mark.
Ilia Gruev [3]
Invisible for much of the match.
Gruev’s work in the Leeds midfield often goes unnoticed but he was a passenger against Huddersfield in a match where Leeds were pushing to score.
It was a surprise to see him last the full 90 minutes.
Wilfried Gnonto [3]
Stank the place out. Struggled to get involved in the match and looked void of creativity going forward.
Deserves to lose his place in the starting lineup next week after an impressive substitute cameo from James in the second half.
Georginio Rutter [5]
Rutter was unlucky not to score after carving a brilliant opening for himself with tidy footwork in the second half.
He was the best player on the ball for Leeds but his composure in front of goal is still a major concern.
Crysencio Summerville [4]
Missed a huge chance to give Leeds an early lead and slowed down too many attacks by holding on to the ball.
Summerville has often been Leeds’ biggest creative outlet this season but he struggled against a well-organised Huddersfield side that sat deep after the red card.
His frustrating performance was summarised with a late effort that struck the post.
Patrick Bamford [7]
Endured a quiet first half with very little service provided but scored the equaliser to continue his strong run of form.
With six goals in eight games since the turn of the year, Bamford looks set to keep his spot as the starting striker ahead of Piroe. The best of a bad bunch on the day.
Substitutes
Dan James [7] – Looked sharp after coming off the bench on the hour mark. Proved to Farke that he deserves to start ahead of Gnonto next match.
Connor Roberts [8] – A huge threat after replacing Gray at right-back. Provided the assist for Bamford after less than 10 minutes on the pitch and looks to have great chemistry with James on the right flank. Changed the game.
Joel Piroe [5] – A flat performance from Leeds’ £12million summer signing. Thrown on by Farke to try and grab the winner but looked uncomfortable in a deeper role.
Jaidon Anthony [N/A]
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